PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Vitaceae FAMILY

Vitis vulpina

Vitis vulpina

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Climber
Growth—

Prefers a deep rich moist well-drained moderately fertile loam[1, 2]. Grows best in a calcareous soil[2]. Succeeds in sun or partial shade though a warm sunny position is required for the fruit to ripen[2]. The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts. There has been much confusion in the past between this species, V. cordifolia and V. riparia. Some treatments of the genus only use V. cordifolia and V. riparia, relegating this species to a synonym, but [2] recognizes all three species and this is the treatment followed here[PFAF]. Plants climb by means of tendrils[3]. The flowers are sweetly scented[4]. Any pruning should be carried out in winter when the plants are dormant otherwise they bleed profusely[3, 2]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[2].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[PFAF]. Six weeks cold stratification improves the germination rate, and so stored seed is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is obtained. Germination should take place in the first spring, but sometimes takes another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in early summer. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, December/January in a frame. These cuttings can be of wood 15 - 30cm long or they can be of short sections of the stem about 5cm long with just one bud at the top of the section. In this case a thin, narrow strip of the bark about 3cm long is removed from the bottom half of the side of the stem. This will encourage callusing and the formation of roots. Due to the size of these cuttings they need to be kept in a more protected environment than the longer cuttings. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Vitis+vulpina>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  4. [4]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  5. [5]Flora of the Great Plains. — McGregor. R. L. & Barkley. T. M. · University Press of Kansas. · 1986 · ISBN 070060295x ↩︎A useful source of habitats.
  6. [6]An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada — Britton. N. L. Brown. A. · Dover Publications. New York. · 1970 · ISBN 0-486-22642-5 ↩︎Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
  7. [7]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎